Ridgeway Cottage anyhow

It was in Wovember 2015 when I discovered that woad was a plant that could easily be easily be grown in the garden and   used to dye textiles. Not only was it a natural dye, but it was blue in colour, a beautiful blue. We all love an internet journey, those timewasters where you get sidetracked here, click on the link there, and boom there is an explosion of ideas. From learning about the joys of British wool from the Wovember web site, I investigated local yarns and discovered Southdown Yarns . I wanted to know the whole story and I was curious about hand dying. I wanted to know how the stuff worked and someone was there to tell me. Let's internet-hop over to Jenny Dean . It wasn't enough for me to just read the articles, I wanted the book . It was the start, owning the information and words to help me to obtain my new crazy dream; gardening and sewing a handmade homemade ethical garment. People who don't garden might not know that the winter is spent planning next spr

Handmade stuff is more than just bits and bobs you throw together because you can or maybe it's cool or cheaper or more ethical. These Frankenadvent socks are a wearable diary, the fabric of my life with each stitch attached to the memory of a moment.

The kids have now got Where's Wally chocolate advent calendars so it's time to get out my incomplete Frankenadvent socks. I started my Frankenadvent socks last December and then got overwhelmed by the whole preparation for Christmas extravaganza. Basically they are a mish mash of random yarns and crazy patterns. I have absolutely no idea where I left off last year so I have gone for a simple rib in the same grey as sock number one. I don't believe there are any Franken advent socks police and therefore don't envisage any problems other than perhaps not being able to finish them again. Well here we go work in progress/ unfinished project/ Christmas advent tradition. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

So after my epic mum fail of not purchasing chocolate filled advent calendars before they sold out, I had to do something to make up for it in some way. The light is beautiful in December. The sun sets into a milky yellow horizon as the first star shines brilliantly. At the beginning of December, each year, we head off into the city centre to see the lights. It's a bit of a tradition now, the spotting of the lights and the Jesus Sets. We never miss this one. This year the donkey appears to be having a quick nibble of the baby's tootsies. It's always a bonus to get some coffee and gingerbread. Charlie reckons he can always manage chips so I imagine having got them once on our annual advent jaunt, next year it will be an expectation. Finally the Jesus set outside Canterbury Cathedral. With its life sized characters of ethnically appropriate colouring and a basket of baby chicks under the manger, the children, who have seen this every year of the

For some people today is just Friday. There are others however who have been hijacked by consumerism, the shiny, sparkling promise of happiness through the purchase of crap they don't need destined for next year's landfill, trapped in the endless hunt for a bargain. And then there's another group of Friday 25th November 2016 people, those celebrating Buy Nothing Day and that's the gang I'm in. But how about the saving money, the kick starting the Christmas shopping and the greedy over consumption of Black Friday, I hear you ask. Well don't worry friends, I'm not tragically behind in the preparations for the crazy season, I have completed a handmade homemade Christmas gift for my nephew. He's too young yet to have his own opinion about what makes a decent gift so I can quite easily pass off anything as acceptable as long as it has an aeroplane on it. Of course I did actually spent most of yesterday and today working on the little placemat so altho

Sometimes it's impossible to ignore the weather. Today the heavens have opened, the sun has shone and the sky has changed from the bluest of blue to ominous grey. Rainbows have appeared and vanished after filling the skies with colour. It's also noticeably colder. Hats, mittens, fingerless gloves and scarves are at the ready in fact I have had them on several mornings since October started. Since having Sherlock I notice the weather more. The rain is not a problem. He is not keen but once we get going a walk is a walk, rabbits are there to be chased, squirrels are there to be barked at and foxes are there to be discovered. Autumn has arrived and with it the end of the growing season. My dahlias enjoy the colder mistier mornings and are showing no sign of giving up yet. However the summer lettuces have been replaced with those that will with stand the winter and the planting of seeds will now wait until the spring. Small seedlings of climbing beans, field beans and sweet pea

As we head towards the end of the summer holidays, I can safely say that I have achieved very little of what I set out to achieve over what is laughingly referred to as "time off". The kids however have had a blast and seeing as I gave up all right to my own life, space or even air to breathe the second I viewed that double blue line, I must have done something right. So in celebration, here are some flowers on Friday. Especially for Zoe and Samantha, because feeling ill is rubbish 💕

The skies are a little grey today but the colours of my flowers continue to sing. For anyone who needs a touch of brightness